We’re going to talk amongst ourselves for a moment. Today’s topic? The microwave oven and today’s ridiculously busy family lifestyle. We work, we work out (we DO!), we go to a multitude of events, we move children around like pieces on a checkerboard in a game we know we are rarely going to win. We need convenience in this age of inconvenient schedules! There’s a limited amount of time in your family’s day, so what is the most convenient way to feed your bunch on the go? Your microwave oven.
(Fun Fact: Back in the day the original model stood 6’ tall and weighed in around 750 lbs. Try throwing that baby into a kitchen remodel!)
Obviously your microwave is getting heavy use and at some point will waive the white flag and need to parlay. We’re going to share with you some basic info and few simple tips to keep it humming along smoothly.
- First up, keep that interior clean to prevent sparking/arcing. Makes for a fun miniature fireworks show for the kids, but can damage the interior.
- Does your microwave come with a rack? If yes, don’t keep the rack inside the microwave unless you’re heating more than one plate of food. Otherwise, refer to the sparking/arcing incident mentioned above.
- Does your microwave hood fan turn on when you cooking on your stovetop? No worries if it does! This is a normal safety function of the microwave. Once the temperature cools down the fan will turn back off.
- Is the tiny light burnt out? Many microwaves don’t require a service call to change the light. Get out your handy dandy Use & Care Guide out for instructions. Don’t see any instructions for it? Well then you are one of the lucky ones who will not be embarrassed when you call a technician for a quick service visit to change it for you.
- Have you checked your filters lately? What’s this? Filter you say? Yup, all microwave hood units have a grease filter under them that requires cleaning. Back to the Use & Care Guide for instructions or replacement options.
- Did you know your microwave will last longer by not opening the door while it’s running? Yes, we all do it… just to look and maybe stir stuff around in the bowl, but letting the cooking cycle end on its own, or by using the stop/cancel button before opening the door can reduce future door switch issues.
- Does your microwave have a turntable inside of it? Okay, so do you hear popping noises or maybe the turntable isn’t turning smoothly? Remove the turn table plate and its support and clean them really well along with the interior floor of the microwave. Most of the time the smallest debris can cause issues with the turntable doing its thing, and cuts down on the popping noise.
Now that you’ve got the microwave spiffed up and ready for heavy use, grab that latte and get the dog to the groomer. You’ll be back a few times today…. and your convenient, dependable microwave oven will be ready for anything your family pops in for. Well, not just anything but that’s a whole different blog and probably a service call.
As always, if your appliances are giving you a hard time, please call our friendly CSR Team at (844) 299-8249. And set up a service call. Thank you for letting family help yours!
